How long should I wait before waxing?

[14Accent]

So I had the bumper on the Volt repaired and repainted this last week (got the car back last Thursday). The repair looks amazing, I used a small Indy body shop we work closely with at my shop.

Is there a certain amount of time I should wait to let the job "cure" before I was it? I did the whole car with Collinite 845 a couple weeks ago and I'd like to get coat on the new bumper ASAP.

Thanks all!

 

[tomcat27]

Two to three months

 

[skyactiv]

I can make up an answer that might be wrong or right.
I'd call https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/forum.php

 

[RooflessVW]

Ask the guy that painted it.

 

[HYUNDAIFAN0001]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Ask the guy that painted it.

Agree that this is the best advice.

ON several of the Velocity channel car shows...they paint and then detail (on top of clearcoat) after 10 days...but it depends what the painter does and uses.

 

[Delta]

Depends on if the finish was baked in the booth, you could apply in a little as a couple weeks. But typically after a couple months; that's how long I waited after our Camry was repaired, and it was baked. It's not gonna hurt the bumper to be "unprotected" for a couple months. Just keep the bugs off of it to prevent etching.

 

[CT8]

Wax? Isn't that the stuff the car wash puts on when the blue lights flash?

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Ask the guy that painted it.


^ Really. How hard is that. No one here knows the products he used or how he did it (air dry, baked), different clears can have significantly different drying and curing times from the same manufacturer..

 

[mclasser]

I've had body work done from various shops in the past and was told not to wax for at least 90 days.

They said if I did it sooner and ended up rubbing through the clear, kiss the warranty on the job goodbye.

 

[funkymonkey1111]

What did the shop that painted it say when you asked them?

 

[Ethan1]

I tell people 3 months and I haven’t had a problem yet. Of course, 99.3752% of people would never dream of waxing their car anyway

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: Delta
Depends on if the finish was baked in the booth, you could apply in a little as a couple weeks. But typically after a couple months; that's how long I waited after our Camry was repaired, and it was baked. It's not gonna hurt the bumper to be "unprotected" for a couple months. Just keep the bugs off of it to prevent etching.
it was not baked it was forced dried big difference

 

[The motor guy]

6 months

 

[Malo83]

Originally Posted By: Ethan1
I tell people 3 months and I haven’t had a problem yet. Of course, 99.3752% of people would never dream of waxing their car anyway

No Truer Words!!!

 

[14Accent]

Thanks guys.

I'll ask the shop. It's a plastic bumper so I have no idea if they baked it or not.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: CT8
Wax? Isn't that the stuff the car wash puts on when the blue lights flash?

No, nothing resembling wax in the barrel that supplies that. They can call it wax all they want but it doesn't make it so.

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: 14Accent
Thanks guys.

I'll ask the shop. It's a plastic bumper so I have no idea if they baked it or not.

Again it is NOT a bake finish the clear coat is only force dried.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

It's all about the paint job and who did it. Although you can guess pretty well by how much you paid, or if your insurance company paid. Unless it cost a *lot* of money, and unless you have some kind of Rolls-Royce level insurance, it's probably done the standard way, probably some time in the bake oven but not the special baking routine that Concours cars get. That kind of job can be waxed almost immediately.

In other words, unless you (or someone) paid nearly five figures for the repair, wait at least 30 days unless you know you can wax sooner via direct advice from the shop.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: dave123
Originally Posted By: 14Accent
Thanks guys.

I'll ask the shop. It's a plastic bumper so I have no idea if they baked it or not.

Again it is NOT a bake finish the clear coat is only force dried.


Who cares? Its terminology used in a generic fashion. The fact it was not ambient air dried and some heat was involved is the term " baked" is being used in as far as this topic is concerned.

 

[dave123]

It would assume if you call it a bake finish it would be complet dry no further cure in the process force dry is dry to handle but is NOT completely cured this is finishing 101